A Village Called Versailles
A Description of A Village Called Versailles, dir. S. Leo Chiang
After Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, the Vietnamese American community of Versailles faced immense challenges in rebuilding their homes and lives. This is depicted in the film A Village Called Versailles (2010), directed by S. Leo Chiang. Despite widespread damage and minimal support from institutions like FEMA, the community demonstrated resilience, unity, and determination.
Versailles, named after the Versailles Arms Apartments in New Orleans East, became home to Vietnamese refugees in 1975. These families had already fled conflict and persecution twice. The first time was from North Vietnam to South Vietnam in 1957, and then again during the fall of Saigon in 1975. In New Orleans, they built a strong community rooted in tradition, culture, and hard work.
By 2005, Versailles was a thriving working-class neighborhood where 8,000 people lived. However, tensions between generations around cultural identity were growing. This fragile balance was shattered by Hurricane Katrina. Though most residents evacuated, about 400 stayed and were eventually rescued and scattered across the country. Language barriers and lack of assistance left many individuals feeling abandoned.
When the community was allowed to return six weeks later, many did so immediately, rebuilding their homes without government aid. With the help of leaders like Father Vien Nguyen, ambitious redevelopment plans including senior housing, a cultural center, and a community farm and market were launched. The plan was announced with pride during the Lunar New Year Festival that February.
The celebration was soon overshadowed by a serious threat. Mayor Ray Nagin used his emergency powers to reopen the nearby Chef Menteur Landfill to dump toxic debris from Hurricane Katrina. He did this without an environmental study or safety measures. The landfill was less than two miles from the village called Versailles and right next to the water that had flooded the neighborhood. His blatant disregard for the community, caused immediate anger and concern for the citizens.
The landfill’s proximity to Versailles sparked outrage. Residents organized protests and public demonstrations, eventually forcing the decision to close the landfill. This became a major political victory for the community. Their activism brought recognition and influence. The community formed the MQVN Community Development Corporation and launched new initiatives, including clinics, a school, and a youth group called VAYLA-NO. In 2008, Anh “Joseph” Cao became the first Vietnamese American elected to Congress, symbolizing their growing voice and impact in New Orleans and beyond.
The Director
S. Leo Chiang is the director of the award-winning film A Village Called Versailles. Chiang was born in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, and now lives in San Francisco and Taipei. He has taught documentary production at several universities across the United States. He is best known for filming documentaries and has received acclaim, including an Emmy nomination for A Village Called Versailles. Some of Chiang’s most notable works include Island in Between, Our Time Machine, Safe Journey, and Out Run.
As an immigrant from Taiwan, S. Leo Chiang has a connection to the people of Versailles because he is also a part of the Asian American community. Since Versailles was subject to many harmful situations due to Hurricane Katrina, Chiang's documentary shows how, even through adversity, the people came together to create a better community. Chiang chooses to focus his film on how Versailles was affected and how they decided to rebuild. The people of Versailles were overlooked during Hurricane Katrina and in his film, he showcases the challenges they faced and gives them a voice. Chiang is representing other Asian Americans and highlighting their strength and resilience through Hurricane Katrina.
Connection to Salvage the Bones
Jesmyn Ward and S. Leo Chiang both decided to shed light on families and communities that could not and/or decided not to evacuate for Hurricane Katrina. Although Ward’s underprivileged coastal Mississippi town is fictional, her descriptions and narrative closely parallel the realities that Chiang captures in A Village Called Versailles. Both forms of media highlight communities that stood their ground, saw their homes destroyed, and faced rebuilding from the damage. It is a privilege to evacuate, and not having that privilege affects the impact of the ruin and the ability to rebuild. The strongest connection between Salvage The Bones and A Village Called Versailles is how a sense of community can weather even the strongest of storms. Residents of Versaille were repeatedly silenced and disregarded, yet they continued to fight hard and loud for the community they cherished.
Similar to Ward’s novel, Chiang's documentary explores how Katrina served as a disaster but also a teacher: “[Katrina] was the murderous mother who cut us to the bone but left us alive…left us to learn to crawl”. The people of Versaille had to overcome not only a natural disaster but poor governmental action. The adversity that this community faced was completely out of their control, yet the way they learned and adapted to their circumstances allowed them to gain control of their environment and even strengthen it. Tragedy has the power to tear people apart or unify them, A Village Called Versailles and Salvage The Bones are examples of the latter.
The Film's Awards
Audience Award, Call to Action Award– LA Asian Pacific Film Festival
Audience Award– San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
Best Documentary– Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival
Best Documentary– Crossroads Film Festival
Henry Hampton Award– Council on Foundations Film & Video Festival
Third Eye Award– DisOrient Film Festival
Quotes from Reviewers
“A story that bridges oceans and generations alike. The film is not designed to preach, but to inspire: to share a unique slice of the American story with a wide audience…This is a film you cannot afford to miss.”
—Racebending.com
“Tells the story of the political awakening of the Vietnamese community in New Orleans East.”
—John Rudolph, Feet in 2 Worlds
“An absolutely remarkable documentary on the Vietnamese American community that will elicit thoughtful and provocative discussions. It presents with great sensitivity the tragedies of displacement, yet focuses on the remarkable power of dignified resistance and coalition-building across generational, gender, class, linguistic, and racial boundaries.”
—Linda Trinh Vo, Chair, Department of Asian American Studies, University of California, Irvine
“Offers a potent commentary on our nation’s identity, and challenges historically misguided views of what it means to be American.”
—Kim Leung, Campus Progress
Recomended Works
A.D New Orleans: After the Deluge by Josh Neufeld
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Beyond Katrina by Natasha Tretheway
America's Great Storm: Leading Through Hurricane Katrina by Haley Barbour with Jere Nash
Watch the Film Now!
https://avillagecalledversailles.com/dvd
Exhibit page by
ASHLEY HUFF
SOPHIE OUTMAN
KACI TAYLOR
AVERY WHITE